Oaken
by Marblez
Summary: The story of the tree who became a man... NOT SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Tortal or any of it's people, I do however own Oaken and their group of travellers.

Inspiration for my story - _"As I recall, this word's use means somewhere there is a tree that is now a - a two legger." _- Numair.

Oaken 

Chapter One, The Tree Who Became A Boy 

The boy lying on the ground was filthy, covered in dirt and leaves. Not to mention he was completely naked. His hair was…well it was green, not a bright green more of a khaki green and his skin was lightly tanned all over.

"What a strange looking boy," the woman who had found him said quietly to her companion, placing a gentle hand on the boy's cheek but he remained asleep. They were a group of travellers on route to Corus where they would stay for the winter in a house they rented every year and between them they had seen many strange things but none quite as strange as this. It was not everyday you found a green haired boy in the middle of a vast wood with no clothes to his back. "What should we do? We can't leave him here."

"We will put him in our wagon with the children. He can wear my spare shirt and breeches for now," her husband said, easily lifting the boy into his arms.

"When he awakes we will ask what happened to him," the woman said in her mothering way, taking her cloak off and laying it over the boy in her husbands arms to regain his decency. "Poor boy."

He opened his eyes, a thing he had never done before and looked around him in wonder at a world he had never seen before. Until now he had been an oak tree, yes an oak tree. He had lived to produce oxygen and give a home to squirrels and the like. But now he a human boy, something he doubted could have happened naturally.

Slowly he lifted his hand and gazed at his fingers in wonder, then at his toes in amazement as they wiggled on command. A giggle beside him alerted him to the other two occupants of the wagon who watched him in amusement. The little boy looked about seven and had dark brown hair with light blue eyes that almost seemed to laugh as he did. The girl looked younger than him, about five and had light brown hair with equally light brown eyes.

"Hello," the boy said with a chuckle.

"He-" he gasped, he could speak! But how did he know how to speak? Maybe it had something to do with the magic that changed him in the first place, he didn't know. "Hello."

"My names Tari and this is my sister Lila. Lila go and get mamma," the boy ordered and the girl jumped out of the wagon obediently. "What's yours?"

"I don't have a name."

"Don't be silly, everyone has a name. I bet even the trees have names."

"No we don't have names, we trees just…whoops." He'd answered before he'd thought and wasn't at all surprised by the boys fearful reaction.

"Mamma he thinks he's a tree!" he screamed loudly. A woman climbed into the moving wagon easily, followed by Lila who was now staring at him wild eyed. "He said he was- he said…"

"Hush Tari. Hello, my name is Ariadne. What's your name?" the woman asked kindly, kneeling beside him.

"I don't have a name. I am…or I was an Oak tree. I don't know how I became human, I am sorry," he said shyly, looking at the floor of the wagon.

"Don't apologise. It was probably one of those mage's messing around with things they don't really understand. Well first thing's first we'd better find you a suitable name," she smiled kindly at him, "Now you said you were an Oak tree so how about Oakal?" He made a face and she laughed. "Not a fan of that one, hmm, Taroak?" Another shake of his head. Ariadne sighed.

"What about Oaken?" Lila suggested quietly, "That one sounds nice."

"I like that one," Tari agreed.

"Oaken," he said, sounding the name on his own lips, "Yes I do like that one."

"So Oaken it is. Now next time we stop in a village we'll get you some of your own clothes as my husband is a much bigger build than you and red breeches really don't go with your hair and you ey-I've never seen eyes so green," Ariadne smiled at him.

"Ok," he, no Oaken smiled at her and laughed nervously as his stomach rumbled loudly, "I think that means I'm hungry but I've never been hungry before so I'm not one hundred percent true."

"Lila go into you Aunts wagon and get some bread and cheese for Oaken," Ariadne said with a smile and the little girl obeyed once again to the command she was given. "Then we'll have a talk about what's going to happen once we reach Corus."

2 Weeks Later 

He was walking with the other young men now having gotten used to his new legs. They had accepted him like he was a member of their family, letting him join in the work and helping him when he didn't understand.

"We'll be stopping in the next village for the night, any bets on how many women Oaken manages to pull?" It had also become evident on their journey that Oaken was going to very popular with the ladies, what with his unusual hair and bright eyes, not to mention his dreamy looks. He however was yet to understand the significance of the relationship between a man and a woman. "I'm placing my bet on five."

"Put me down for six."

"It's a small village, I say two."

"No, no, Oaken's never attracted less than three even in the smallest villagers. I say three at least."

"Why do you make such a fuss about how many of the women talk to me?" Oaken asked in all his innocence. The other men laughed and clapped him on the back, "No really why? All they do is talk to me except for those two who tried to…what did you call it…kiss me. I don't understand."

"We'll explain it to you sometime, just let us have a little fun till then Oaken."

"Alright, but I really wish you'd tell me. One of the woman asked me if I wanted to see what her bedroom was like and I really didn't understand why I'd want to." His only reply was howling laughter.

Oaken smiled at the pretty red headed girl who was sat very close to him at the bar, leaning over slightly giving him a better view of the cleavage shown by her low cut dress. The other men were watching in amusement as she reached up to twirl her fingers in his hair.

"So how come it's green?" she asked.

"It always has been," he'd been told not to tell the women he was a tree once, "I think a mage did it when I was born as a joke on my parents." The woman giggled and brushed it back from is forehead. She was the only one tonight, well the only one so far. Usually as soon as one left another took her place, he was quite bored of it now. "So, how about we move our little conversation upstairs?"

"Um, well you see…" he started but she'd already dragged him off his seat and had begun to pull him towards the stairs, "Wait…I…"

"Come on, I won't even charge for you. Let's have some fun…"

A/N There we go first chapter with a little bit of a cliffie thrown in, is he about to get his first lesson of human reproduction?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Tortal or any of it's people, I do however own Oaken and their group of travellers.

Inspiration for my story - _"As I recall, this word's use means somewhere there is a tree that is now a - a two legger." _- Numair.

Oaken, 

Chapter Two, 

"So, how about we move our little conversation upstairs?"

"Um, well you see…" he started but she'd already dragged him off his seat and had begun to pull him towards the stairs, "Wait…I…"

"Come on, I won't even charge for you. Let's have some fun…" she was pulling him up the stairs when one of the men from his group grabbed him around the waist and hauled him backwards.

"Not tonight love," he growled at her, "His da would kill us if we let his innocence be spoiled early." She looked very unhappy until suddenly one of the other men scooped her off her feet.

"But I'm not gonna be killed if you…spoil my innocence," he said quietly to her.

"Well let's go then." And they were gone, just like that. Oaken stared after her in shock, only now realising what she was. Then he turned to his friends and smiled gracefully, his da would have probably killed him too.

"Thank you," he said sincerely to him, bringing forth an answering chuckle and an order of more ale.

"Just don't tell you da and we'll all live to see tomorrow."

"I won't."

"There's no need to tell me, I'm right here," with a cringe the group turned to find Oaken's foster-father standing in the doorway, a frown on his handsome face. "Oaken, outside. The rest of you are allowed to be in here, you're old enough. He is **not** and if I find out you have brought him into a place like this again there will be consequences."

"Father…"

"Outside Oaken." He didn't need to be told again.

"How dare they even think of taking you into a place filled with alcohol and loose women?" his mother roared, gripping him by the ear tightly, "And how dare you go into one of those places? Have we taught you nothing in the last two weeks? Must I make myself even clearer? If people find out what you are…were…Oaken, I don't want to loose you and I certainly don't want you to end up bedding some slut with hundreds of diseases." When she got going her lectures never stopped.

"I didn't…"

"You are going to stay in the wagon every night from now on with the other children, no way out of it," she told him pulling him towards the brightly coloured wagon. "I can keep an eye on you there."

"But…"

"No choice in the matter. You may have been 100 or more as a tree but you are 14 as a boy and I will not have you mixing around with drunkards and whores. Get in there and sit down," she ordered and Oaken, knowing better than to aggravate her further obeyed.

"Oaken's been a naughty boy," Lila giggled as he sat by her. "We heard EVERYTHING. Isn't mummy good at telling people off?"

"Oh yes, very good. It's just not a good idea to be on the receiving end is it?" Oaken asked, rubbing at his sore ear. "Wasn't even my fault…"

"Will you help us with our pictures? There for da's birthday," Lila asked. Oaken sighed and nodded, going on his knees beside the two children and picking up a piece of charcoal. "Colour in his hair, make sure you don't go over the lines."

2 Months Later 

Oaken easily held Lila on his shoulders as the family walked through the streets of Corus by the wagon. They had officially adopted him; a ceremony performed by the head tribesman and could now call himself their son and brother.

"Isn't it a great place, oh there's our winter house. It's really a stable but we had the upper part converted into a house type place," Tari said, "The wagon and Kipper (their horse) stay in the downstairs bit."

"Impressive," Oaken nodded.

"Look it's some knights!" Lila cried excitedly, kicking her legs against Oaken's chest and pointing to a group of men with swords. Oaken looked at them and squinted, trying to see them better at this distance. One, a rather small one with fiery red hair didn't look quite right, not quite male. Ah well, his mother was calling for the children to hurry up and get inside.

"You'll be sharing a room with Tari, you don't mind do you?" she asked as they entered, Oaken ducking down so that Lila wouldn't hit herself on the doorframe.

"No that's fine," Oaken said, looking around the large room with hay all over the floor. Over on the far wall was some not quite safe looking stairs, which disappeared into the ceiling, stairs that Tari was rushing up easily with no fear at all.

"Put me down and I'll lead the way," Lila ordered as their parents began to sort of the wagon and Kipper. He obeyed and she took his hand, leading him up the stairs. There was a long corridor when they reached the top of the stairs, three doors on one side and two on the other. "That's my room," she said pointing to the first on the right, "It's the smallest and that's your room," she pointed to the second one. Tari poked his head out of said room and beckoned to him excitedly.

"We'll have to share a bed till we get another one for you but this is it!" he shouted, flinging his arms out to take in the whole room. There was a small bed, a wardrobe and a dirty window but the room had a certain hominess to it, it made Oaken feel welcome. "It's not much but it's…"

"Wonderful. You must remember Tari, I've never had a home before."

"Well you have one now…for the winter at least. Oh and guess what we can see from the window! The palace practise grounds where the nights train, I'd love to be a knight when I grow up but you've got to be noble."

"Boys! Come and help unpack the wagon or there'll be no dinner for any of us!"

"Coming!"

A/N There we go, he's going to meet the knights and stuff but I need a name and occupation of the girl he should fall for. Should I make her noble or a commoner?


End file.
